Arrugula
Common name Arrugula, Rocket Salad
Latin name Eruca versicaria spp. sativa
Life cycle Annual
Height 16-18"
Sow 1" apart; 1/4" deep
Bloom Depends on seeding time
Light Full sun to partial shade
Soil Rich soil with steady water supply
Features Cool weather crop
Culinary
Rocket is best eaten raw in salads and sandwiches, but can be steamed like spinach. Flowers and seedpods are edible and used in salads. The flowers have the same flavor as the leaves, but are milder. The seeds are used like mustard.

Medicinal
The leaves are taken for upset stomachs and are diuretic. The herb is also used as a mild stimulant and cough remedy. Seeds are used to treat bruises.

Ornamental
Arrugula is suitable for windowsill and container gardens where it can be moved into shade during hot weather.

Culture
 Grow in rich, moist soil for succulent leaves. Keep plants well watered because plants go to seed quickly and produce tough, bitter leaves in hot, dry soil. Arrugula plants usually self-seed, but you can save arrugula seed and sow it every 3 weeks for a continuous supply of succulent leaves. Begin sowing in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked. Sow arrugula seed about 1/4" deep and 1" apart in single rows or broadcast in 3" wide bands. Do not thin.

Harvest
Begin harvesting when the leaves are young and only 4 to 6 inches tall or when there are enough leaves to eat. You can harvest by cutting off individual leaves, or by pulling out the entire plant. The leaves can still be used after the plant flowers, but the taste is sharper. Arrugula blossoms and seedpods are also edible. Harvest the seedpods when they are young and juicy.

Other Common Names
Arugula, Garden Rocket, Roquette, Rocola, Rugula


References

Bittman, S.  1989.  Seeds.  Bantam Books, New York, NY.  page 100.

Bremness, L.   1994.  The Eyewitness Handbook of Herbs.  DK Publishing, Inc., New York, NY. 
     page 249.

Clevely, A. and K. Richmond. 1995.  The Complete Book of Herbs.  Smithmark
	Publishers,  New York, NY.  page 87.


©2001 Beth's Backyard

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